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January 2008 |
“There are only two problems in life,” says productivity guru David Allen, in a white paper titled “Make It Up and Make It Happen” (found at www.davidco.com). So, what are the two problems?
If you’re a project manager (PM), chances are you aren’t technically proficient in all of the project’s areas. Really, though, you don’t have to be.
The Web standard for communicating information, the eXtensible Markup Language or XML, is more than eleven years old. Its use in automation is still in infancy, however.
Expand a single-node system by a couple or more nodes, or change topologies, or connect computers to another server—and “things get complicated,” states Rashesh Mody, vice president of human-machine-interface (HMI) and supervisory-control-and-data-acquisition (SCADA) services for manufacturing software vendor Wonderware (www.wonderware.com), Lake Forest, Calif.
An integrated, joint solution will redefine how mechanical engineers and control engineers collaborate to reduce time to market and drive down costs, the companies say.
The organization’s first annual Integration Symposium featured an informative look at work done to date, plus a look ahead.
Globalization is also seen as a threat by private manufacturers around the world, including some in China, study says.
The addition of Ethernet IP communication will ease the vertical integration of devices using SERCOS III production networks.
The $32.6 million deal positions Beijer to participate in the fast-growing industrial networking and data communications portion of the automation market.
The StatoilHydro Ormen Lange facility relies on Hart technology in providing up to 20 percent of the natural gas used in the United Kingdom.
The inaugural annual market forecast from the Measurement, Control & Automaton Association projects U.S. and Canadian growth rates.
The Singapore-based chapter will be the first outside North America for the wireless networking organization.
One U.S. manufacturing economist who has studied China says that slowing investment, labor shortages and a rising consumer economy all look to be factors in China’s economic future.
The automation market in Brazil is small, but growing fast, figures show.
It’s seldom a good feeling in the pit of your stomach when management issues you a challenge.
Manufacturers boost profits with smart inventory automation.
(Sidebar to "Minimum Inventory Maximum Productivity" from the January 2008 issue of Automation World)
Improved HMI visualization makes plant and enterprise data easy to share, and also easy to understand.
(Sidebar to "A Better View of the Plant" from the January 2008 issue of Automation World)
Mark Morgan is currently chief executive officer of Stratex Advisors, Shingle Springs, Calif. He was formerly chief learning officer at IPSolutions Inc. and practice director of the Stanford Advanced Project Management Program. He was also co-author with Raymond E. Levitt and William Malek of “Executing Your Strategy: How to Break It Down & Get It Done,” published by the Harvard Business School Press. He recently met with Automation World Editor in Chief Gary Mintchell to discuss the ideas behind the book.
Designed for use in hazardous locations, VisuNet RM remote monitors
eliminate copper and fiber optic KVM (keyboard, video, mouse) interface
technology, while leveraging open network-based Visualization over
Ethernet (VOE) technology.
The Simatic Mobile Panel 277F IWLAN is billed as the first wireless
human-machine interface (HMI) to incorporate two enabling buttons and
an emergency stop button into its design that are tested and certified
to meet SIL3 safety standards.
Enhanced versions of the vendor’s 10.4-inch HG3F and 12.1-inch HG4F
operator interface touch screens are designed to provide superior
brightness levels of 450cd/m² and 400cd/m² respectively.
By integrating the PLC into the HMI, the IndraLogic VE simplifies engineering by reducing components and cabinet size, and wiring.
The BradCommunications NetDoctor is a passive device that continuously monitors a DeviceNet or CAN network and stores the information as OPC status tags on an HMI display over Ethernet.
The UNO-2182 embedded automation computer features a Core 2 Duo 1.5GHz (L7400) CPU and 1 GB DDR2 RAM.
The Daniel Series 3400 and 3800 families of ultrasonic meters use HART communications to deliver real-time diagnostics to the company’s PlantWeb digital plant architecture, including host systems and flow computers.
The NextMove-ESB2 offers control for servo and stepper motor axes, together with onboard I/O and fieldbus connectivity and expands servo control capability from three to four axes.
The AM3500 series of servo motors have a high moment of inertia, making them well suited for machine tool axes with stringent synchronism requirements.
The QUINT SFB family of industrial grade power supplies is the first industrial grade power supply to feature Selective Fuse Breaking (SFB), a technology that increases system reliability.
The In-Sight 1820 vision-based wafer pre-aligner provides precise non-contact measurement of wafer position and orientation.
Robot networking and communications software is designed to enable secure connections between remote PCs and the vendor’s robot solutions on the factory floor.
As the latest in the vendor’s BusWorks line of high-density Ethernet
I/O modules for distributed I/O and SCADA, Model 989EN isolated
discrete I/O also perform counter/timer functions.
The DPP120 and DPP240 series of DIN rail-mount power supplies are said to provide an economical solution for mid-power factory automation and process control applications.
This extra large display meter can reportedly increase productivity by offering the plant floor or production area a visible display of current temperature, voltage, current or process information or process status.
TopView 6.0 software monitors data measurements from instruments and devices throughout a plant and its remote facilities.
The TFZ Programmable foundation fieldbus temperature transmitter can be installed on the same segment with all standard foundation fieldbus devices.
OneWireless EHM is a compact, eight-channel (4X vibration, 4X 4-20 mA) monitoring device that communicates over the vendor’s industrial mesh network.
Stride industrial-grade unmanaged Ethernet switches and media
converters are designed specifically for PLC, HMI and drive users.
Designed for demanding high-performance servo applications, MaxPlus-J
(MPJ) motors offer the same design specifications as the vendor’s MPP
(MaxPlusPlus) motors but give users higher inertia.
The TE1 range is a temperature measurement system that measures process temperatures from -50°C to 250°C.
As the latest addition to the vendor’s hybrid motor line, the 28000
series double stack captive hybrid linear actuator features a compact
frame size that is only 1.1-inch (28mm) square.
The Allen-Bradley PowerFlex 40 AC drive and the ArmorStart product
lines have packaging options that are now rated by NEMA and NEMA/UL
Type 4X/12 (IP66/54) for indoor use.
M-Series seismic cabinet enclosures with “French door” style access allow the cabinet to fit in tight spaces.
The model ACS55 variable frequency drive provides OEMs and system
integrators the most compact motor drive in the vendor’s component
drive range.
The Acoposmicro is billed as an extremely compact drive for operating stepper and servo motors in the lower performance range.
The vendor has incorporated its Uprox+ technology into its line of M8
miniature picoprox sensors to provide compact housings with sensing
distances that far exceed ferrite core sensors, especially while
sensing non-ferrous metals.
The Kingfisher G30 compact remote terminal unit (RTU) extends the full
capabilities of the vendor’s Kingfisher Plus+ product line to small
SCADA system applications requiring up to 32 I/O points.
Version 5.5 of the vendor’s Enterprise Cost Management software
platform is designed to provide real-time, predictive and precise
product cost assessments throughout the development and delivery
process.
The WebDT 310 and 360 are billed as the first mobile tablets that can be ordered with an integrated barcode scanner, magnetic stripe reader (MSR) and/or camera.
A Web-enabled Ethernet communications card option is now available for the vendor's compact Square D PowerLogic PM800 series power meters.
Proficy Batch Execution—Version 5.1 includes new features designed to
simplify and improve the design, maintenance and operation of batch
processes.
The 566 and 568 handheld thermometers feature broad infrared (IR)
temperature measurement functionality, an on-screen menu system and a
dot-matrix LCD display enabling users to take even complex measurements
quickly, easily and from greater distances.
The CNTX contrast sensor is billed as the highest-resolution white LED
contrast sensor on the market, and the only sensor able to reliably
detect up to 50 gray-scale levels.
Pricing for profit may seem to be elusive, but it’s plainly within reach—and well worth the effort in the interest of gaining a competitive advantage.
The IC-DISC is attracting renewed interest as an opportunity for companies engaged in export sales to benefit from lower corporate taxes.
Strong operating performance drove strong equity market results, as several leading industrial automation companies reported banner years in 2007 and project even brighter futures in 2008.
Each of the interfaces in the owner/operator’s AIM environment must be reviewed to identify opportunities for better information sharing/reuse.
As I write my New Year’s column, I’m in “booming Bangalore,” India’s software capital. This is a city of some 6.5 million people, which makes it India's third-most populous city and fifth-largest metropolitan area.
indicates a sponsored article that was submitted directly to this Web site by the supplier, and was not handled by the AW editorial staff.
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